Empty Nesting Season: Letting Go As You Redefine Parenthood
The summer of 2012. That’s when my only child left for college. And that’s the year I began dealing with empty nest and letting go. What a difference six years can make. I’d almost forgotten this past week was the beginning of the school year. I was headed to work and in a hurry....
How to Be Your Best Self During A Divorce
What’s a “good” divorce? Some might say it’s one that never happens. But it’s likely that, if you stay in your “best self,” even as you divorce, you and your children will benefit. Many of us get divorced. Sometimes the choice to divorce is mutual, and sometimes, it very...
When Are You Old?
When people around my grandmother would begin talking about how hard getting older was, she’d usually pipe up and say, “When I consider the alternative..,” her eyes twinkling a bit. Things are happening that make me more aware of getting older. For the first time the other day, I...
Four Common Mistakes In The Hard, Frustrating, Awesome, and Complicated Job Of Step-Parenting
Falling in love can be heaven on earth. When you find love “the second time around” is no different. Not only do you appreciate having found each other, you’ve hopefully learned about yourselves as individuals and as partners from past experiences. You’ve recognized...
Guilt and The Borderline Mother (Or Wife or Daughter or Friend): Nine Ways to Work Through It
Your phone rings. Her name appears on your screen. You dread clicking over. And then comes the guilt. Your history with her rushes into your mind as you wait for one more ring — all the times that you’ve rushed to her side, comforted her, and told her you’d be there for her,...
082 SelfWork: Confronting the Loneliness and Apathy of Living Parallel Lives
Loneliness is hard no matter when or where it happens. This episode, sponsored by Audible.com, gives ten ways to combat or confront apathy and loneliness in your relationship or marriage. Feeling lonely in a relationship can also be devastating, as your lives are lived side by side but...
How to Solve the Parenting Debate: Four Important Realizations
Parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world. There’s no rehearsal. No interview process. You haven’t a clue what it’s going to be like, and suddenly, you’re hired. You’re a parent. And what about the person at your side? The guy or girl who you’re going...
Five Ways to Keep Fairy Tale Relationships From Becoming Nightmares
After a bad break up or a divorce, and your relationship is over, how often do you look back and wonder, “What was I thinking? How did I not see this coming? How did I ever think this was going to work out well?” It’s true of course that hindsight is 20-20. But what causes us to...
Five Reasons We Talk “At” Each Other And How To Listen
When couples walk in my door, saying, “We can’t communicate,” one of the things I immediately wonder is whether anyone is truly listening. So much of the time, instead of listening, you assume you know what the other one is about to say, or you can’t wait to give our...
Three Vital Reasons To Say “I’m Sorry”: A Simple Way to Improve Your Marriage
“Love means you never have to say you’re sorry.” Those words were emblazoned on a poster that hung in my room back in 1970, featuring Ali McGraw and Ryan O-Neal blissfully gazing into the future, the stars of the hit movie “Love Story.” My 16 year-old self...
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